The Modern Eraof the Church

VATICAN COUNCIL II

• There have been 218 Church councils; Vatican Council II was the most recent ecumenical council

• Convened by Pope John XXIII in 1962

• Called to address the unfinished issues of Vatican I: - the role of bishops in the Church - the need for renewal in the Church

• Pope John XXIII died on June 3, 1963, during the course of Vatican II

• Pope Paul VI was elected on June 21, and continued

the council, bringing it to a close on December 8, 1965

• Vatican II touched on all areas of Christian life

• 16 Documents were produced during this council

Second Vatican Council's 16 Documents

• 1. Sacrosanctum concilium, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 1963.

• 2. Inter Mirifica, Decree On the Means of Social Communication, 1963.

• 3. Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution On the Church, 1964.

• 4. Orientalium Ecclesiarum, Decree On the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite, 1964.

• 5. Unitatis Redintegratio, Decree on Ecumenism, 1964.

• 6. Christus Dominus, Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops In the Church, 1965.

• 7. Perfectae Caritatis, Decree On Renewal of Religious Life, 1965.

• 8. Optatam Totius, Decree On Priestly Training, 1965.

• 9. Gravissimum Educationis, Declaration On Christian Education, 1965.

• 10. Nostra Aetate, Declaration On the Relation Of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, 1965.

• 11. Dei Verbum, Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation, 1965.

• 12. Apostolicam Actuositatem, Decree On the Apostolate of the Laity, 1965

• 13. Dignitatis Humanae, Declaration On Religious Freedom, 1965.

• 14. Ad Gentes, Decree On the Mission Activity of the Church, 1965.

• 15. Presbyterorum Ordinis, Decree On the Ministry and Life of Priests, 1965.

• 16. Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution On the Church In the Modern World, 1965.

The messages and results of Vatican II:

- The Second Vatican Council affirmed that the Church is the People of God. Everyone is called to holiness.

- The council pointed out a need for collegiality, shared decision-making. The pope now consults with the bishops.

- Latin was replaced by the language of the people (in the U.S., for example, mass was now said in English). This encouraged participation in liturgy.

- Promoted Christian unity; the Church encourages discussion and unity with other Christian traditions.

- The importance of reading Scripture was emphasized at the Council

- Every member of the Church is responsible for sharing the faith and standing up for the dignity of every human being.

• Vatican II called upon the laity to take an active role in the Church

• For 456 years, the Seat of Peter was filled by an Italian.

• This changed in 1978, when the College of Cardinals selected a Polish cardinal to be Pope.

• Karol Wojtyla took the name John Paul II; he was the 264th pope.

• Pope John Paul II was Pope for over 26 years, from October 16, 1978 until April 2, 2005; his is the second longest papacy in history. (Pius IX =31 years)

• Pope John Paul II chose his name in honor of the preceding pope, John Paul I, who had one of the shortest papacies – 33 days.

• Because of the untimely death of John Paul I, 1978 was a rare “Year of Three Popes”

• Because of the untimely death of John Paul I, 1978 was a rare “Year of Three Popes”:

• Paul VI, who was elected in 1963 and died on August 6, 1978.

• John Paul I, who was elected on August 26, 1978 and died thirty-three days later on September 28, 1978.

• John Paul II, who was elected on October 16, 1978 and held the position until his death about 27 years later in 2005.

• Pope John Paul II was known as the pilgrim pope because he traveled to over 100 countries during his papacy.

• He emphasized a universal call to holiness

• Pope John Paul II called Catholics to a New Evangelization, using that term in many of his writings.

- This was a response to the new challenges that the contemporary world created for the mission of the Church

• Pope John Paul II was beatified on May 1, 2011; this was the first step to being declared a saint

• He will be canonized on April 27, 2014

• His feast day is October 22

• Pope John Paul II was succeeded by a German cardinal who took the name Benedict XVI

• Pope Benedict XVI retired from the papacy in May, 2013

• Pope Francis was elected on March 13, 2013